The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-27
CONFEDERATION In CHICAGO
Burning of the Huge Establishment of
the Packing and Provision Company.
Several Hundred Live Hogs Burned to Death
and Seventeen Thousand Barrels of Pork
Destrayed-Loss, About $1,250,00O.

CHICAGO June pa million and quarter
dollars went up in smoke at the Union Stock
yards to-day. Early this morning of the
employees Of the Chicago Packing and Provision
Company discovered fire in the tank-room. In
few moments one of the tanks exploded, scat
tering burning lard over the adjacent buildings,
and dozen separate fires were competing
with each other in the destruction of the i'm
mense establishment Though the fire
struck out this evening, 149 hours after it
started, the smolderng embers continued to
laden the air with the fumes OF roast pork, and
% fve-acre oven will remain on the premises
red hot for at least couple of days.
The Chicago Packing and Provision Compa-
ny's works occupy about six acres OF ground, but
the Ere was kept within the district bounded by
Forteth street, Center avenue, Forty-second
street and the railroad tracks. block west of
Center avenue. This territory contained four
large buildings. The main building 300 by
AIS feet. In it portion of the killing done,
and the hanging, cutting, packing, curing and
other work incidental to a slaughtering estab-
llshment. Except tre curing-in ROOM in which
I9, ,000 900 pour Nh; of short ribs, the main
building and its -nts a total loss. The
curing-ro 100 by l5G feet and four stories
high, lost its roof but stone fire-walls
saved its contents, a portion OF them in a
building the warehouse, 120 by 400 feet,
four stories and basement. The two upper
floors at the south end were used for killing pur-
poses In the warehouse were IL, 600 barrels of
mess pork belonging to Armour & Co. The
building and much OF the pork was wholly de-
stroyed- About 5000 live hogs in the
building when the FIRE started, but the
pany's employees succeeded in getting most Of
them out. Between 600 and 700 hogs
burned alive in the building. Back of the main
building was the fsrtilizing factory, 100 feet
square, and the enginehous fifty by sixty-fve
eet Both structures were burned completely.
The fact that wind blowing when the
FIRE started probably the only circumstance
that saved the entire stockyards from destruc-
tion. No person seems TO know the origin of
the fire. Several saw the blaze simultaneously
rs it went through the roof Of the tank house.
The flames rapidly ate their way across the
main building. Though the fire department
was quickly at the scene, the fire had gained
volume that amount of water could reduce.
Huge, sweeping circles of flames were whirling
upward with q roar that could be heard blocks
away Twenty engines and every reservoir in
the yards were soon brought into play All
efforts of the firemen and hundreds of stock
yards employees were bent toward keeping the
roniaeration confined to the works of the Chi
lago company.
IL at this juncture while one little squad
Of fremen standing in a freeht-car play
Ing on the burning tank room, that the tanks ex-
ploded. heavy beam smashed through the
roof or the car, smashing pipeman Bakers ankle
and knocking Lieutenant Elliott unconscious.
Soon afterward the walls of the warehouse tum-
bed to the ground, disclosing heaps of mess
pork p. ID. Armour Immediately set two hun
dred men at work removing the meat. Charred
barrels of it were rolled out and carried away.
The little army tramped huge piles of
loose pork and carried big chunks of
VIII
was thrown in heaLs Occasionally of the
workmen would drop a ten pound roast in n pool
Of water and splash his neighbors with a mixture
of grease and mud. Two-wheeled carts and big
tour-wheelsd trucks were loaded from these
heaps like garbage wagons from the gutter. Mr.
Armour, in n white hat and new spring suit
ruefully watched the mess of pork and cinders
being cleared away, while his manager Mr..
Cudahy, stood on an elevation of mess pork and
carcasses Of hogs roasted whole. The charred
bodies, shriveled into shapeless of Gin
ders. we're mingled with piles of brick, black
ened beams aud incinerated barrels
After the flames had consumed most of the
woodwork OF the buildings the fire still held
sway in the great mounds OF burning meat A
smoke thick with the fumes of tons OF roasting
pork rolled the stock pens and drove into
the eyes of the iremen. Falling walls filed the
air with particles of brick-dust, binding and
suffocating the men. They were at times COM
PEELED TO leave their hose and plunge their heads
into buckets OF water; they sat In turns with p
handksrchiefs dipped in water their swollen
eyelds. or bathed their blistered cheeks with
dirty water.
Perhaps the most exciting scene Of the day
was presented when the men who attempt
ing to drive through the covered run-ways the
live hogs IN the upper stories were forced by the
flames to desisL Below were scores of work
men rolling out barrels OF pork. Down the
crowd pellmell. leaped dozens of affri GIFTED ami
mails that had jumped from the windows or
sprung through the open hatehwaya The men
who had braved the flames fled from the falling
hogs and. at distance, watched for glimpses OF